Fellowships

Research Summary

Our broad research goals are to identify and validate novel molecular therapeutic targets in hematopoietic malignancies. We are interested in the identification and pre-clinical development of novel targeted therapies, and, in particular, the “translational” step of this research by using correlative studies to incorporate these novel therapies into existing treatments. Our research is of particular interest to those who wish to be involved in directly translating the results of laboratory bench work into meaningful benefits for patients.

Currently, we are actively involved in the pre-clinical and clinical development of small molecule kinase inhibitors targeting the FLT3 signaling pathway in acute myeloid leukemia. We are interested in 3 compounds in particular- AC220, a FLT3/KIT inhibitor; crenolanib,a selective FLT3 inhibitor with activity against resistant point mutations; and PLX3397, another inhibitor of KIT and FLT3.

The active projects in the lab include:

Characterization of cytotoxic responses of different hematologic malignancies to FLT3 and KIT kinase inhibition;

Examination of the interaction of bone marrow stroma and stroma-derived cytokines on the efficacy of these inhibitors;

Correlative laboratory studies using blood and marrow samples from patients treated with FLT3 inhibitors, with the aim of developing predictive models for clinical response.

Lab:

Dr. Levis laboratory research focuses on the development of molecularly targeted therapies for leukemia. Currently, he is actively involved in the pre-clinical and clinical development of small molecule inhibitors of protein kinase, including FLT3. The research involves studying the biochemical effects of these inhibitors on primary blast samples from leukemia patients.